


Who Can You Trust To Transport Your Good?

by YourAnonymousGod



Series: Did he fix you? Yeah, he did [7]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mortal, Deleted Scenes, Developing Relationship, Episode: s02e04 Meat, F/M, Gwen and Rhys actually talk, Gwen and Rhys aren't toxic :), Hospitals, Hostage Situations, Hurt, Hurt Ianto Jones, Ianto knows but loves him, Injury, Jack is an idiot still, James Bond References, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mortal Jack Harkness, Pizza, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25992082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourAnonymousGod/pseuds/YourAnonymousGod
Summary: Rhys already knows about Torchwood, but he's never been involved this much before
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Did he fix you? Yeah, he did [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767754
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	Who Can You Trust To Transport Your Good?

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoyed doing this one :) Also happy birthday Ianto and my friend Iot :)))

_ “So, who can you trust to transport your good? _

"Harwood's! You won't be sorry with a Harwood's lorry!" Rhys sang joyfully as he rolled down the dual carriageway, grinning to himself and laughing at the company's new jingle. He'd written the last bit.

_ "Good morning."  _ The man on the radio said.  _ "Today sees an improvement on the weather we've been having recently."  _ His phone began to ring and Rhys turned out the radio, looking to the device sitting in the holder between the two front seats. Rhys then glanced in the rearview mirror and flicked his left blinkers on, hand going up when the car behind slowed, letting Rhys pull over to the side, horn blaring as the blue vehicle whizzed past. With the radio silent, Rhys answered his phone.

"Rhys?"

"Yeah, Ruth. Did you hear it? I wrote the last bit" He laughed, settling in his seat.

_ "I did, it was lovely but Rhys…there's been an accident." _ Ruth said with her almost patronising tone. Rhys' face fell, sitting up.

"What sort of accident?"

_ "Lorry overturned. You know the route for the meat delivery this morning?” _

“Yeah, I know it.”

_ “I can’t find who the driver is, we’ll possibly need to inform their family of this.” _

“Yeah, I'll get over there now.” It didn’t take long for Rhys to find the crash sight, surprisingly it was only just up the road he had been driving down. Cars were being U turned and sent back down the other carriage way or turning off before they even reached the crash. However, Rhys continued on until he couldn’t, parking up his car and getting out only for a police officer to walk up to him and stop Rhys in his tracks, arm out. Before addressing the officer, Rhys looked around to see an ambulance crew, a fire engine, and police vehicles. Further ahead was a white lorry on its side, smoking, with a black car on its top.

"Stay back, please. You'll have to move your car.” The man warned, blocking Rhys from getting any closer to anything.

"I'm Rhys Williams, manager of Harwood's Haulage.” Rhys told him but the officer didn’t budge, not that Rhys expected him to really.

"You can check on the vehicle later.” He was told.

"Bollocks to that, mate. I know the driver. Is he-” Rhys pointed, catching sight of a stretcher with a pair of ambulance workers either side. He could see it was Leighton just from his overalls and hair. The police officer in front of him turned and Rhys watched as a red blanket was his friend, already knowing what had happened before the man spoke.

"Didn't make it. Sorry.” The cop pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “Can you give me some details, sir?” He asked, however, Rhys was still taken aback by the scene before him. One of his mates was dead, a friend he had only seen that weekend.

"It's Leighton.” Rhys muttered, more to himself than anything before realising the policeman would want more than that. “Er, Leighton Reynolds.”

"Next of kin?

"Yeah, he's got a wife. Jen. Just had a baby, man.” Rhys muttered, unable to move his eyes off the stretcher as Leighton’s body was wheeled towards the awaiting ambulance, the men pushing it into the vehicle.

"Do you know the address?” The officer then asked and Rhys forced himself to look at the man, bringing his mind up to speed to speak.

"Yeah. 54 Keppoch Street, Roath. I give him a lift to football.” The sirens of the ambulance blared out and it began to pull away, lights flashing.

"Thank you, sir.”

"Er, right. I'm gonna need to arrange to move the lorry.”

"Not yet. There's something suspicious in the back.”

"It's just meat. Leighton was taking it to the abattoir.”

"Yeah, well, whatever. Torchwood want to look at it first.” Right on cue, the black SUV of Torchwood rolled up and squealed to a halt, Rhys recognising it from prior times when Gwen’s boss had been away. He still couldn’t sometimes believe that she fought aliens and defended Cardiff - and subsequently the world - from them, and he had had no clue for so long. Of course, he was pissed at the secrecy, but he now understood why and being clued in on things was hard sometimes, he couldn’t just tell Banana Boat or his parents, but it was worth knowing that there was lift out there in the stars.

Watching the SUV through the smoke, out stepped Gwen's git of a boss with his outdated coat. Then the passenger door opened and there was Gwen, in her leather jacket, looking about as badass as ever walking through the smoke towards the lorry. A little bit of Rhys was glad his fiancé was here, it meant things were in capable hands, and he could ask her about this, maybe even help, but if Torchwood were involved…

_ "What had Leighton been up too?" _ Rhys thought to himself as he stepped back to his car. He couldn't have his friend's reputation tarnished and his wife and child's lives ruined for this. Rhys needed to talk to Gwen, so he set his car in gear and made to follow their large car which was pulling away only to be halted by the same officer from before.

"Sorry, sir, you can't come this way now.

~~~

Ianto hovered around the platform with his mug of coffee as they all waited for Owen to finish his tests on the foul smelling and possibly alien meat. He was glad he hadn’t stepped into the van itself, just one whiff of the block was enough and a whole cargo load would have been far too much for him and his breakfast that consisted of a bacon sandwich and coffee would have come up in minutes. He also stood far enough away from the autopsy bay to not smell it any more but close enough to hear if Jack, who was watching impatiently, called to him or Tosh who was standing at her desk sipping from her own white mug. There wasn’t anything new to talk about, not that Ianto was uncomfortable with the silence, but Tosh had already informed him of Owen’s answer to being asked out on a date over an impromptu night sitting on the Millennium Centre rooftop with some more rancid tasting Welsh prosecco and the wind in their hair.

“Tosh, get onto the haulage firm. Find out where that meat is from and where it's heading.” Jack ordered from the autopsy bay and Ianto glanced back. 

“Why does it have to be Rhys' firm? It's a bit too close to home.” Gwen said, a ting of worry to her tone.

“Want to stand down?” Jack asked her as he walked past Ianto, scooping up his blue and white mug, leaving a soft kiss to Ianto’s cheek and a gentle smile as gratitude before moving along to stand against the railing. 

“No, I want to find out what's going on.” Gwen told him, coming to a stop beside Ianto as he picked up her colour mug, handing it over with a comforting smile. “Thank you, Ianto” Ianto took a sip of his drink, watching Tosh bring up the website for Harwood’s Haulage with its catchy tune playing, when an idea popped into his mind, speaking up.

"We could bring in Rhys again."

"Rhys? Again" Jack asked, voice low as he looked up from his drink, looking over at them. Ianto’s eyes slowly widened as he realised his mistake, Gwen standing ramrod still. Ianto had thought Gwen had told Jack by now but evidently not, feeling a little guilty now for dropping her in the deep end even if it was by accident.

"Ugh- well, ya'know, he's the manager of the transport business-" Ianto stumbled over his words, fingers clutching at the dark mug in his hands and avoiding Jack’s gaze. Tosh shuffled awkwardly to his right, bottom lip pulled under her teeth as she watched them. Jack's gazed narrowed, and he straightened up to face Gwen properly. "I'll ugh, yeah-" Nobody stopped Ianto as he wandered off, picking up Tosh’s now empty mug and letting out a deep sigh once he was far enough away. He didn’t feel like facing Jack wrath, even if it was second hand.

Things were awkward even after Ianto felt brave enough to venture back to the platform, Jack and Gwen nowhere in sight but Tosh was on the phone probably to Rhys’ firm so Ianto kept quiet as she tapped his shoulder, dropping a small piece of paper in his hand that read  _ A470, 15m C.  _ He frowned for a second, unsure what to do with before he realised

“Can you tell me where your driver took the meat?” Tosh asked into the open and Ianto silently slipped around her, towards Gwen’s computer. He could hear Jack and Gwen talking inside Jack’s office, voices hushed. Rhys’ voice then floated through the speakers sounding a little stressed.

_ “Yes, he was taking it to Caerwen Abattoir.”  _ Ianto took a mental note of the place, thinking before pulling out his notepad and scribbling down a question for Tosh to ask, handing her the folded up paper with a small, polite curl of his lips. She unfolded it, taking in what he had scribbled down.  _ “It's a processing plant. Just a general meat suppliers.”  _

“What time did the driver leave base?” She queried and Ianto waited, listening as he brought up the traffic camera footage for the roads leading to the A470 road. There was a lot to go through but if he got the time frame from Rhys, Ianto could narrow it down.

_ “Signed out at ten to one.”  _ Ianto quickly typed in the time, watching the section of footage cut down, and he tapped his finger against the table as he watched through the video, tuning the voices from Jack’s office out.  _ “Can I ask what this is about?” _

“I can't release that information, sir. “ The call cut out, stopping Rhys mid-sentence just as Ianto found the pieces of tape he needed, watching the white lorry roll past the camera with the same number plate from the crash, Ianto checking it with the one he had written on his notepad.

“Got him." Ianto said and Tosh looked over. A hand touched his shoulder and Ianto jumped just a little, turning his head to see Jack, his hand subtly rubbing the joint. He smiled at Ianto who turned back to the screen, temporarily distracted. "There he is coming back forty minutes later. Let's say it takes twenty minutes to load. We are talking a ten-mile radius”

"Jack!" Owen called from his lab and the rest of the team turned his way, heading down into the autopsy bay while Ianto stood at the computers, the maths he'd completed in his head gone unappreciated. His minor sulk, however, was interrupted by his own computer beeping down near the coffee machine and Ianto knew that meant the pizza delivery was here. Ianto quickly shut off the notice, set up a small search for buildings large enough to house meat near the  _ A470  _ before heading back to the autopsy bay to notify the team.

"Pizza's arrived." Ianto said, Tosh turning at Tosh footsteps while Jack spun around a little slower, a slightly horrified look in his eyes Ianto didn't understand, so he continued. "I presumed it would be a late one."

"What did you get me?" Owen asked.

"Your usual. Meat Feast." He said, heading off to the Tourist Office to collect their food and paying the young man delivering it. He held the boxes with one hand as he pushed the button to the secret door, feeling the heat of the food through the cardboard and feeling his stomach rumble as he could smell the pizza. Ianto took the lift on the way down, humming to himself before carrying the boxes over to his workstation, Marvin coming over to investigate, hanging down from the walkway above with one head watching Ianto and the other staring at the boxes. Ianto just smiled, letting the space monkey clamber onto his shoulders. Jack joined him as well, also summoned by the food, greeting Ianto with a gentle kiss that showed him he wasn’t angry at him for bringing up Rhys and patting Marvin’s head.

“What did you get us, then, my beautiful Welsh Dragon?” Jack asked, already grabbing one of the boxes and taking a peek, Ianto didn’t stop him, grabbing out a case of beers from the fridge.

“Bold of you to assume we’re sharing a pizza.” Jack was pouting when he turned back to him and Ianto smirked, picking up some napkins. There were only three boxes of pizza.

“We always share one, Yan.” Jack said, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him close. “I’ll even feed it to you, if you’d like.”

“With the team here?”

“Not like they’d care but if you don’t want to you could always feed me.” Jack winked and Ianto rolled his eyes, passing him a beer as the others joined them, Marvin leaping off his perch to greet Tosh. Owen brought over two chairs for him and Tosh while Gwen politely declined. Ianto passed over the smaller veggie pizza to Tosh who thanked him gently and took her own bottle while Owen scooped up his meat feast pizza and drink, both settling down as Jack delved into their shared pizza. Ianto tucked a napkin in his collar, not wanting to spill anything on his suit, ignoring the look Jack gave him.

It didn’t escape Ianto’s notice as Owen began picking off the meat from his pizza, but he didn’t raise any questions as Jack looked at him expectantly. Ianto frowned for a second before understanding what he wanted and rolling his eyes again. Jack just smirked as Ianto picked up a slice, tore off a smaller piece and held it close enough to Jack’s mouth that he could eat it. Nobody made any comments but Ianto’s cheeks flushed up anyway, grabbing another napkin to wipe some stray sauce at the side of Jack’s mouth. Ianto took a few bites of his own slice before setting it down, wiping his hands and bringing up what he was working on earlier, search complete.

“I've narrowed it down to three potential areas.” Ianto told them, shuffling back to Jack’s side. “Only one warehouse is unoccupied. It's just outside Merthyr.

“Makes sense.” Owen muttered, still picking the toppings off his pizza. “Who knows what goes on there?”

“We've got to shut the operation down.” Jack started, talking with his mouth full after Ianto had fed him some more. “Neutralise whoever's doing this and identify the alien meat. Tosh, you can coordinate.” Gwen’s phone beeped as well, catching Ianto’s attention as he ate. She looked at the message, a frown pulling at her face.

“I have to slip home and check on Rhys first.” She spoke, slipping her phone away and Jack stood up slightly, nodding. Ianto stayed quiet, just eating his food.

“Good idea. Find out how much he knows.” 

“That's not what I meant. “ Gwen frowned slightly and Ianto felt second hand embarrassment from just hearing the conversation, turning away from Jack to grab his beer as Gwen stalked over, Owen staring at Jack like he was an idiot and Ianto couldn’t help but agree.

~~~

Gwen arrived home not longer after she left, moving through the unlocked door to find Rhys sitting at the counter. She didn’t ask why he wasn’t at work.

“Hiya. I got your message.” She said, perching herself on the back of the sofa. Rhys shot her a small smile. “Are you all right?”

“Er, bit of a tough day. Had an accident at work. One of our lorries crashed.”

“I know. We were called to the scene.” Gwen confessed, Rhys watching her with interest. She was ever grateful she had told him while Jack was away, it was a huge relief to be able to go home to him when the day was tough and just vent to a listening ear that wasn’t one of her teammates. She had honestly forgotten to inform Jack.

“I was there… Ruth called-” Rhys paused, running a shaking hand over his face that made her heart race with worry, moving closer to him. “Leighton died… He was only twenty-four.”

“Leighton… I can’t place him.” She frowned, resting her hands on his arm and Rhys looked at her. She realised that he must have been close to the driver. 

“Small, dark hair, played five-a-side with me.” Gwen thought back to Rhys’ mates who she had met, she could honestly say she didn’t remember the names or faces of most of them but the description and name clicked together and her mood fell.

“Oh… oh god.” Rhys leant his head towards her, and she gently hugged him, kissing the top of his hair and giving him a moment.

“The police said you took the meat?” Rhys asked after a few minutes or so, raising his head again and Gwen nodded, keeping her arms around him.

“Yeah. We’ve had Owen run some tests, it’s not actually terrestrial.”

“You mean-” Rhys’ eyes widened in a way she would have found funny if the situation was different.

“The meat was alien.”

“Bugger.” Rhys cursed. “What was Leighton doing with that?!” Gwen chewed on her lip, having the same exact question rattling around her head, instead, she looked at Rhys carefully and asked,

“Do you know anything about the suppliers?”

“No. Nothing I didn’t tell the police.” Rhys shook his head, moving from her arms and getting up to pace nervously. Gwen watched him for a moment. “God- we’re not going to get buggered by this, are we?”

“No, no. You weren’t to know.” She comforted, stepping closer to take his hand. Gwen tried to smile as best she could and Rhys squeezed her hand. “There is one thing, Rhys. Jack knows you know, and we were thinking of bringing you in to help.”

“Like a mission?” Rhys asked, tone tinged with a slightly boyish excitement.

“Maybe... As long as it’s not putting you in danger.”

~~~

Ianto headed down to the armoury while Jack was busy debriefing Rhys on his role in tomorrow’s heist, already set in with the meat suppliers and gaining their trust so that he could drive in with the team in the back of a lorry, drop them off and pretend to pick up some more of the alien meat. They were going to save the alien inside that warehouse, look after it and try to send it home. Ianto picked up one of the containment boxes that held the array of Torchwood issue guns, intending on checking them ahead of tomorrow, making sure they were all cleaned with the correct amount of ammo. However, as he picked up one of the guns, a childish urge came over him, and he looked around, finding the place empty, which brought a smirk to his lips.

“The name's Bond. James Bond.” He muttered into the quiet of the hub, aiming the gun ahead of him like he was the famous spy staring down his greatest enemy. Ianto then looked behind him again to make sure nobody was standing there, Owen and Tosh were elsewhere.

“Pistols at dawn; it’s a little old-fashioned, isn’t it?” Ianto winked at no one, adjusting his grip on the gun, holding it outwards and imaging he was facing off another enemy. The safety was on, and he kept his finger off the trigger as he pretended to shoot.

“We’re not just going to let you walk out of here” Ianto said, switching to  _ Sudden Impact _ rather than  _ James Bond.  _ “Make my day-” Ianto began, enjoying his far too much for just recalling quotes and holding out a gun that he didn’t hear the footsteps getting closer until someone cleared their throat behind him. 

“Ahem!” Ianto froze, mortified at being caught, but he stilled his expression, putting the gun down and twisting around to find Jack.

“Rhys-! Should we arm him?” Ianto asked, brushing his fingers together and twisting his pinkie around to distract him from the rush of embarrassment that threatened to make him crack in front of his boyfriend, who had a glint in his gaze that told Ianto he wouldn’t live this down.

“Hell no!” Jack answered. “He’s hot headed enough!”

“Like stags butting antlers. I half expected you to get out the measuring tape” Ianto said and Jack smirked, dropping down a step and shifting closer, taking Ianto’s hand in his and guiding it towards his crotch.

“Who do you reckon would win?” Jack asked, biting his lip and raising his eyebrows slightly. Ianto didn’t answer, blushing before pulling his hand away and turning. Jack then plants a light kiss to his temple before running off and leaving Ianto to store the weapon back in its proper place. Ianto let out a deep sigh once Jack was gone. Sometimes he hated his boyfriend.

~~~

“What's that?” Tosh asked as she joined Owen who was studying a diagram. Owen glanced at her, smiling gently.

“It's just an idea of what it looks like.” He gestured to the screen and Tosh stood at his side to get a better look. “I had it made up from the genetic make-up.”

“It looks lovely. “ She admitted, smiling. It was like a whale crossed with a seal, round but large, although no signs of fins, just a tale. A weird alien whale seal thing. Tosh liked it.

“I'd better get on with that report.” Owen told her, and she nodded, watching him before turning back to the spinning image of the alien they would rescue tomorrow. There was gentle tapping of metal on the floor and without looking Tosh knew Marvin had come seeking them out, swinging up onto her shoulders. She smiled, pressing a light kiss to the pink metal plating on his head. “That's another big lump out of its habitat.” Owen muttered, and she turned, spotting Rhys and Gwen talking together. Somehow Owen hadn’t got entirely used to Rhys being around in the time Jack was gone.

“Still makes me realise, maybe it is possible to do this job and have a relationship.” Tosh said softly, looking to Owen who caught her eye.

“Is this you saying you’re ready?”

“Yes, Owen. It is.” She nodded and Owen’s lips curled up slightly, but he said nothing more, turning back to his report. “When?”

“I'll check with the others. We could have a Torchwood tournament.” Owen said and her smile dropped which just made Owen grin further, cracking up into a small laugh that made Tosh blush. “I’m kidding. I’m always free, you pick a date.” Tosh rolled her eyes but sat near him, just petting Marvin, keeping them both company until Owen announced he was done

“Right, I’m knackered.” Owen grabbed the paper he was writing on, shifting it all into a neat pile and placing his pen down. Tosh watched him before standing up, Marvin scurrying off. “You need a lift home?”

~~~

“So.” Jack began as he sat in the front of the van with Rhys. “Heard you helped out while I was gone?”

“That’s right. Gwen filled me in, god what a surprise it was finding out aliens  _ do  _ exist.” Rhys exclaimed, hand briefly leaving the wheel and Jack couldn’t help but smile, knowing the beauty and life up in space and how Rhys wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.

“Mmm” Was his reply and the ride was silent for a while until Jack spoke up again. “I guess I should thank you for looking after them, making sure they were fed and got to places if. Usually that’s Ianto’s job but I know he was busier without me there and I’m glad he wasn’t run off his feet.”

“Don’t mention it mate.”

~~~

Dale’s hand grasped Ianto’s shoulder roughly, fingers digging in through his many layers of clothes with the gun pointed at his chest, his wrists tied behind him with a knot he found he could easily undo, careful to not draw attention to himself with multiple sets of eyes in the room, as well as more than one weapon. The alien was practically screaming to his right, in complete agony and Ianto half hoped Owen was busy trying to help it.

“You’re carving up a sentient creature, and you’ve got to stop.” Jack called over and Ianto could feel Dale shaking behind him as he slipped the rope over his fingers,

“And then what have I got? I'm making money here. This is my business.” Dale shouted back, pressing closer to Ianto. The gun was held closer to his chest. “For the first time in my life, I've actually got something for myself.”

“Dale, stop. You can still walk away from this.” Gwen tried to soothe, Rhys standing beside her with his bloodied lip. She was putting on her copper role, trying to settle the situation through promises and a gentle tone but Ianto didn’t think her tactics were going to work this time. His hands were almost free, meaning he had a backup plan if she couldn’t talk him down. The gun was moved to his neck, Ianto’s panic rising unintentionally, and he forced it down to focus.

“No.” Dale muttered. “You lied to me.” Suddenly the gun was pointed away from Ianto’s chest and at Gwen.however the rope dropped to the floor and Ianto sprung into action, taking hold of Dale’s arm and shoving it upwards so the shot went askew, hitting the roof rather than Gwen. That’s when everything else sprung into action although Ianto kept his complete focus on Dale and wrestling the gun from him. The gun went off twice, one shot after the other before Ianto could grab the barrel and force it down, his other hand trying to tug Dale’s fingers from the grip. A hand punching into his lower back had Ianto cry out only for Dale to grab his face with his free hand. Their position was awkward and Ianto could feel them losing balance, so he used the moment, forcing Dale onto the floor where he managed to pin the gun under them and hit Dale in the face.

A loud clanging sound took his attention only for a second yet it was enough to distract Ianto, allowing the man underneath him to gain the upper hand and shove him off. Ianto whacked his jaw on the concrete, pain lacing through his teeth and a coppery taste flooded his taste buds as he accidentally bit his tongue.

“Die!” Dale screamed and Ianto didn’t have time to turn as a startling sound echoed through the room and Ianto was thrown against the floor again. He assumed it was the space whale, or  _ Cash Cow _ as Dale had called it. As he turned, the alien was rocking from side to side, wailing loudly and escaping its bonds. He caught a glimpse of the others past the whale, trapped by it and a bunch of other things. Everyone was still up and standing so at least that settled Ianto’s worries, and he only managed to catch Jack’s eye for a fraction of a second.

“Ianto. Go. After them.” Jack ordered, having to shout over the commotion. Ianto nodded slightly, though unsure if Jack saw, picking himself up from the ground. He followed through the same way Dale had gone, checking that his stun gun was still in his pockets, grinning slightly as Dale was stupid enough to give it back as they were being tied up. Ianto ran through the building, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, catching up with the other men working in the meat. They were all stunned and turning down a corner, Ianto caught sight of the other guy who had tried to talk Dale out of it, the one with the glasses that Ianto couldn’t remember or care if he knew the name off. Owen was holding him up against a door and Ianto pulled his stun gun free, pressing it to the man’s shoulder to let Owen continue with his work, the man slumping down onto the floor.

“We've got to help them. It's out of control.” Ianto told Owen, his voice deep as he tried to catch his breath and leant against the doorway.

“Change of plan.” Owen said, grabbing some bottles and jugs, Ianto leaving the room to carry on and find the rest. He found a door that led to what looked like an office, seeing the younger brother through the window in the door and kicked the door open. It knocked the guy back and Ianto burst in, not hesitating to stun the man. Across the room was Dale who scrambled to get his gun from the table, aiming it however Ianto was quick, kicking his leg out and sending the weapon skittering across the floor. Dale just looked up at him, a small hint of fear in his eyes as he knew he was defeated.

"Pray they survive." Ianto growled before pressing the end of his stun gun to the man's head, watching him drop before leaving. It was as he walked through the building, Ianto felt the adrenaline wearing off and exhaustion taking over but he knew the day wasn't over just yet and rest would have to wait. His jaw throbbed like hell and his shoulder felt numb, spitting out blood that had pooled in his mouth after his teeth clamped down on his tongue. There was also a prominent ache where his kidney was, no doubt a bruise going to form.

He made it back to the main part of the warehouse as the rest of the stood near the now silent alien, Tosh turned at the sound of his footsteps and there was a sombre look on her face and Ianto knew what had happened. Nobody moved for a moment more until Jack stepped back, took a breath and spoke.

"Okay guys, clean up time. We'll retcon the men, call the constabulary and get them arrested for something- Tosh you make the cover, Ianto can you do the retcon?" Jack looked towards him and Ianto nodded, wanting to take a moment to pull his boyfriend close and comfort him but things needed to be done. "Owen, Gwen, let's deal with the alien. Rhys, just wait by the van, unlock any doors, yeah?"

As everyone started to move, Ianto did a double check around the outside for any sight of stragglers, not wanting anyone to get loose. He had just made it to the van, when the feeling returned back to Ianto's shoulder and he grunted. He slipped his hand under his coat, touching the back and finding the material of his blazer damp. At first, he assumed it was sweat yet, as Ianto brought his hand out, his fingers were coated in blood.  _ His _ blood. He was bleeding… shit.

"Jack-" Ianto called although his voice was weak and quiet, failing him. Jack wasn't even around, he was in the warehouse, so saying his name was no help. He couldn't take his eyes off the slick and warm blood, legs stumbling as realised he was hurt. The pain was definitely there now, making him gasp, catching himself on the van's side. Ianto had no idea how much blood he had lost but by the way he was feeling, it couldn't be good so he reached for his earpiece to find it missing. A curse fell from his lips, assuming it had fallen from his ear in the scuffle. His legs wobbled as Ianto tried to move, leaving a bloodied hand print on the Harwood's logo as he shifted along, the edges of his vision darkening.

"C'mon Ianto…" He encouraged himself, unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep him from sliding down to the floor at the front of the vehicle. "Just a minute…" Ianto promised no one, eyes falling shut as his breathing laboured, he'd only rest for a moment then Ianto would find Jack and retcon the people. Just a moment more…

Ianto didn't notice himself slipping into unconsciousness.

~~~

Rhys grumbled to himself as he unlocked one of the last doors. He'd done all that help and he was stuck on door duty then banished to wait outside like he was a kid or something. He'd wanted to help with the more exciting stuff, like tying up the bad guys, maybe get a little punch in for holding him and Ianto hostage. But no. Door duty. Rhys sighed, shoulders dropping and stepping back. He was glad they'd all made it out alive, apart from the poor alien. Rhys could still hear its cry.

Shaking his head and forcing the heart wrenching noise from his memory, Rhys left the warehouse. He could see the van, walking towards it only to stop in his tracks. A handprint in blood stood stark against the yellow of the Harwood's logo. Panic rose, thinking Gwen was hurt for a moment, the gunman's weapon having caught her in the end but then he told himself she was fine. Ianto had saved her, the guy had balls fighting the man for his gun. Rhys half wished he was that badass but the thrill would probably be too much. Telling himself to focus, Rhys studied the hand print and found it was too large to be Gwen's, frowning. He raked his eyes across the rest of the van finding more of along the white of the bonnet, soaking over and rounding the front to find the slumped form of Ianto, blood smeared down the grill that was obviously from him.

Rhys swore, crouching down quickly and holding his hand out to shake the man. There was no response but Ianto' chest rose and fell with breath thankfully. He looked around then stood back up, hesitant to leave the unconscious man but knowing he was bugger all help when they had a doctor with them, so Rhys raced into the warehouse. The door slammed loudly and Jack was the first person he found, the small frowning.

"Rhys. I thought I told you to stay-" He started but Rhys cut him off.

"Ianto's hurt." He said and the annoyed expression instantly fell to concern, eyes widening a little and he moved closer to Rhys.

"What?!" He asked but didn't let Rhys answer, turning to shout across the warehouse. "Owen!! Owen, Ianto's hurt!" His voice echoed for a moment before the doctor made his appearance.

"Where?"

"Out by the van." Rhys told them, leading the two outside quickly, both overtaking as the van came into view. Rhys stood back, letting them work.

"Shit." The doctor swore, fingers tapping Ianto's lax face. "Ianto? Ianto, can you hear me mate?" Like before, there was no answer and Owen searched for a pulse, Jack crouched near with his face masked in worry. Rhys hadn't seen the Captain look like that before, believing him to almost be a heartless, flirtatious bastard however Rhys now knew that wasn't true, this man cared for his team.

Rhys watched as Ianto was stripped from his coat, blood soaking the back of his suit blazer and Owen brought Ianto forward, letting Jack hold him as he bundled the coat up to stem the blood glow.

"Rhys!" Owen called and he jumped a little. "I need you to get the van started. Ianto needs medical attention I can't give him here."

"Sure. Where are we going?"

"Closest hospital on your sat navs." Rhys nodded, moving into action and climbing into the cabin of the van, watching as Jack lifted Ianto up in his arms, cradling him close. He switched the engine on, Jack appeared, opening his door.

"Can you stay here, help with the clean up?" Jack asked with a slightly far off gaze although Rhys knew it was more of an order. Rhys nodded, getting out and watching Jack drive off. He realised as the van disappeared that he got his wish, Rhys was a part of the clean up operation.

~~~

The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was enough to send Jack into a doze. Sat with his arms across his chest, legs stretched out, and head falling to the side, he was half asleep. Kept awake by his worrying but also exhausted by it, Jack didn't have the energy to fight it but also didn't completely give in. His chair was uncomfortable and the smell of the hospital was unfriendly although sterile. Jack had to remember, since he was no longer immortal, that he couldn't go days on end without sleep.

He was halfway towards unconsciousness when light shuffling came from the bed, alerting him instantly. All tiredness disappeared as Jack sat up, leaning closer to the bed.

"Ianto?" He gently said, watching the sleeping form tucked up in the white hospital sheets and blue hospital blanket. There was more moving and Jack's eyes met the sleep filled gaze of his boyfriend, which made him smile with relief. Jack reached out to gently brush Ianto' hair back from his forehead. "Hey, my beautiful Welsh Dragon."

Ianto's tongue darted out to swipe over his lip and his mouth opened only for him to erupt into rough coughing. Jack reached for the fresh cup of water on Ianto's bedside table, standing and holding it close to Ianto's lips. "Here, Yan." Ianto took it with one hand, Jack helping him to carefully tip it so he could take small sips and soothe his throat. Taking the cup away after it was half drunk, Jack took Ianto's outstretched and searching hand.

"What… um, what happened?" He asked softly and Jack pressed a kiss to his knuckles before answering.

"You got shot and you didn't tell me. Took a beating too."

"Oh."

"Rhys found you passed out near the van." Jack briefly let go of his hand to run a hand through his hair, letting out a shaky breath. "Gods- Ianto… Ianto you scared me so much. I thought I was going to lose you, after everything and now I can't die, I can finally grow old with you, I thought that was being ripped away from me yet again."

"I'm sorry…" Ianto apologised, eyes cast down but Jack tilted his head back up with two careful fingers under Ianto's chin.

"No, it's not your fault. You don't need to apologise silly." Jack smiled and Ianto managed one back, sharing a relieved kiss together before Jack pulled away. "I've never been more thankful to have Rhys around." That made Ianto laugh though it jostled his injured shoulder which was stuck in a sling and Jack was reminded of something. "I should go grab a doctor now you're awake."

"In a minute." Ianto told him and Jack raised an eyebrow. "Please?" He begged, pulling the puppy dog eyes that Jack knew were irresistible. Rolling his eyes and kissing Ianto's forehead.

"Fine, but keep your hands to yourself, Mr Jones, you're injured."

~~~

"So, Yan, while you were in the hospital. I may have made an impulse decision." Jack told Ianto who stopped beside him in the lift. Ianto's thoughts quickly ran through the multitude of things Jack could have done, watching the lift doors shut and finding himself trapped.

"That is not reassuring.” He said back, glancing at Jack who just winked and something told Ianto this was probably something he shouldn’t worry about. He trusted Jack however, his impulse decisions could be questionable, immortal or not.

“I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“So you haven’t painted the flat purple?” Ianto asked with a grin and Jack shook his head as the lift took them up.

“No, unless you want that?” It was Ianto’s turn to shake his head and Jack slipped his hand into Ianto’s as the lift dinged and the doors slowly opened. They walked along the corridor towards Ianto’s flat, feeling a little apprehensive but also excited about whatever Jack had done. Jack said nothing more on the topic, letting Ianto unlock the door. Moses met them almost immediately, yelling up at them until Ianto let him climb up onto his shoulders, fluffy face butting against his cheek. “It’s in the spare room.”

Ianto nodded, looking at the door across the room and letting Moses hop down. Jack helped him out of his coat, mindful of his sling before letting Ianto move over to the room. He slowly pushed the door open, seeing nothing out of the ordinary until he stepped in to find a tank sitting in the corner. Moving closer to it, he spotted the small creature inside, a leopard print gecko with wide, adorable eyes. Footsteps came from behind him but Ianto didn’t turn, just peering down at the newest resident.

“An alien had got into the reptile part of the zoo and I thought about what you said, found this guy online.” Jack smiled beside him, his arm slipping around Ianto’s waist.

“He’s cute. Much better than a purple flat.” Ianto joked and Jack laughed, kissing his temple.

“Definitely.”

“You’ll have to look after him again soon.” Ianto told him, watching the gecko just lounge in his tank. Jack turned to him fully, head tilted and a frown on his lips. Ianto glanced at him and sighed. “You forgot… I’m heading to London, in about a week or so, remember? Emma is expecting me.” Ever since she had left for London, Gwen had kept in touch with the girl from 1953, eventually passing her details onto Ianto after she expressed interest in their job. Ianto, since then, had talked to her often, even bringing her back to the Hub while Jack was away to help teach her a lot of the stuff and give her basic training. They had decided to keep her down in London though, where she was opening up a fashion shop, something Emma could enjoy while she harboured a safe place for them to go if Cardiff’s base ever got compromised. Her shop was nearly ready. Ianto was heading down to London to help her with the last few things before stuff was being shipped in.

“Oh yeah.” Jack said though he didn’t look like he entirely remembered. Ianto just shook his head, leaving the room with Jack following.t

“You can come down if you want, she won’t mind.”

“Might do for a day, but I’ll leave you two to the slumber party." Jack smiled and Ianto rolled his eyes, heading into the kitchen to grab himself a small Tupperware box from an overhead cupboard.

"Now, I have a surprise for you, Jack."

"You do?" Jack asked, genuinely surprised and Ianto felt a small pang of pity, knowing Jack hadn't been treated great by past lovers.

"Of course. It's not as cute as a gecko but I hope you'll appreciate it." Ianto explained and Jack smiled despite not even knowing the gift yet. Pulling open the Tupperware awkwardly with one hand, Ianto shifted some of the tat around in it to find what he needed. It was a small silver coloured key, attached to a metal loop that a small warplane hung from it. Holding it out, Jack peered at it. "It's for the flat."

"You're giving me a key?" Jack gasped and Ianto nodded, dropping it into Jack's outstretched hand. This man practically lit up as he held the key, looking towards Ianto with a beaming smile that could blind. It started off a warm feeling in Ianto's chest, making him fill with happiness at seeing his boyfriend so happy. "I love you so much!! Thank you!" The declaration of love caught Ianto off guard, but he didn't let that spoil the mood, letting Jack kiss him thoroughly.

“I love you too, you idiot. Now, I’m starving and I can’t make dinner, so you’ll have to do it.”

**Author's Note:**

> ||Next series installment: A Collection of Short Moments Jack Remembered He Was Mortal||
> 
> Comments, Kudos, and Criticism are always appreciated.  
> Tumblr - @drjekyll-is-gay  
> I have a HTTYD discord (none rp) in my tumblr bio, anyone is free to join :)


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